Okay, so this little bit of angst has to happen, regardless. RIP Martin Stein, you weren't just a hero, you were a Legend.
Chapter 4
After the Earth-X invaders were returned to their planet (save for one Leonard Snart), and they had buried Martin Stein, Caitlin felt more exhausted than she had in years. Since the particle accelerator explosion, since Ronnie... her eyes filled with tears at the thought of all of her losses.
Julian entered the bedroom to change out of his suit.
"I feel like, when we get married someday, we just don't invite anyone, especially not the super friends," Julian said, kissing the top of Caitlin's head.
"It's just an opportunity for Nazis from another dimension to crash the party and kill people we love," Caitlin said, sprawling across her bed, exhausted, bitter and heartbroken. "Can't any of us just be happy?"
"Two friends buried in six months," Julian said gently. "It's horribly unfair."
"I loved Martin so much. You know, he performed my wedding ceremony to Ronnie. Now they're both gone," she said, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"Oh, love, come here," he said drawing her close. "I'm sorry Martin's gone. It must be like losing a part of Ronnie again. I can't imagine your pain. I'm so sorry."
He held her as she cried, softly sobbing into his chest. She calmed down after a few minutes, holding him close.
Finally, she dried her eyes and grabbed a tissue from her nightstand to blow her nose. She knew she must look frightful, but there was comfort in knowing she was beyond such concerns in her relationship with Julian.
"Ronnie would've liked you, you know," she said, suddenly. "He always saw people for exactly who they are, right away. You would've liked him too. He was a guy's guy. He was that good looking, smart guy that you just kinda want to hate at first because you're really jealous of Mister Perfect showing you up on the job, and you expect him to be a real jerk, but then he's just so genuinely nice, you can't help but like him," she laughed. "I miss him. Is it terrible to say I miss my late husband to my boyfriend?"
"Not at all, and I will always want to hear about Ronnie, because you loved him, and you always will love him. You don't have to pretend otherwise on my account."
"Thank you," she whispered.
"I'll go make you something to eat," he said, kissing the top of her head again.
"Thanks," she smiled.
As Julian left the room, she thought back to the comment he'd made. When we get married someday.
She let the statement roll around in her mind for awhile, trying to determine how she felt about it. She got up from the bed and walked into the hallway where she had a view of the kitchen. There was Julian, sans suit jacket, dress shirt unbuttoned, hair tousled, spreading mustard onto a slice of bread as carefully as if he was collecting a forensic sample from a crime scene.
She decided she felt pretty good about it.